Walther’s New Creed Pistol: the PPX Meets the PPQ

Walther Arms is launching a new polymer-framed service pistol that bridges a gap in their lineup. The company is calling it the Creed pistol, and it’s part PPX and part PPQ.

The Creed pistol has a much nicer slide assembly, drawing from Walther’s flagship PPQ, while maintaining the pre-cocked hammer-fired action of the PPX. Like the PPX and PPQ, the Creed is a mid-size double-stack service pistol chambered for 9mm Luger.

The PPX is Walther’s entry-level handgun. It’s built to be easy on the wallet with a simple design that minimizes machine time to reduce costs. The final product is rough-cut compared to the PPQ and other premium Walther products. It’s perfectly serviceable but not as elegant as other Walther handguns.

The PPX still has a lot going for it, not limited to the low price. It has a solid form factor with a 4-inch barrel and a 16+1 capacity in 9mm and it has a very nice trigger. The trigger is so smooth there are shooters who prefer the PPX trigger to the striker-fired PPQ trigger — even if the rest of the gun is less refined.

That’s where the Creed fits in. It marries Walther’s pre-set hammer-fired action with the good looks and curved surfaces of the company’s higher-end products.

The Creed has an extended slide stop — not ambidextrous. But at this price that’s not a deal-breaker. (Photo: Walther)

The Creed pistol’s slide is dehorned to minimize holster drag on the draw. The back of the slide and frame are rounded off for improved comfort carrying. The slide is serrated front and rear and comes standard with low-profile 3-dot sights. The hammer is bobbed and completely recessed to eliminate snagging.

The Creed has a suggested retail price of $399. (Photo: Walther)

The frame has been updated with a rounded trigger guard and fewer sharp corners in general. It still has the Walther grip contour and texture that’s made these guns so popular. The texture provides a positive grip but isn’t so rough that it makes the gun too uncomfortable to carry. The magazine catch is American-style with a reversible push button.

Like Walther’s other service pistols the Creed has a 4-inch barrel and a standard magazine capacity of 16 rounds. It’s also 7.3 inches long, 5.6 inches tall and 1.3 inches wide. And the trigger pull is rated the same as the PPX at 6.5 pounds. The slide and barrel sport a Tenifer finish.

One PPQ feature that’s absent from the Creed pistol is the backstrap system. The Creed, like the PPX, has a one-size-fits-all grip. Still, as far as ergonomics are concerned, Walther delivers some of the best. People tend to enjoy Walther’s pistols and shoot them well.

The Creed pistol is also like the PPX in another way: it’s price. The Creed has an MSRP of only $399.

It may seem like a small tweak to the company’s catalog but the Creed pistol is going to make a lot of Walther fans happy. And at that price, it’s going to make a lot of shooters new Walther owners.

About the author:Max Slowik is a writer with over a dozen years of experience and is a lifelong shooter. He has unwavering support for the Second Amendment and the human right to self-defense. His ambition is to follow Thomas Paine, as a journalist by profession and a propagandist by inclination.

Just bought a Creed, like it a lot. Less recoil and a ‘smooth as butter trigger. This is my first Walther and I love it, even though it’s hammer fired. It actually feels better in my hand than my Glock 23 or my sd9ve. I’m slowly edging toward the Walther…

LOL….still LOLing….ok. I have the CREED and my wife has the CCP…and they are both great firearms. We found the CCP while shopping for the CREED, and the CCP is the right size for my wife, it has the right racking resistance and it even fits my hands well. It certainty is not just a girl’s pistol. Even after purchasing the CCP, I was skeptical about all it’s unique features that challenged others on YouTube, until I saw this video. Bottom line from someone who owns one; CCP is great gun for what it’s designed for – a conceal carry 9mm for personal defense and not a match pistol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex0rPe7ebWI After you get familiar with this weapon, it becomes second nature in all aspects of function and firing. Watch for the critics points and his opinion on them in the video.
Now about the CREED. I was actually going back and forth on getting a true Beretta M9 (not a 92FS) like I carried in the military or the Walther PPQ which is the best feeling gun grip in my hand to date! While researching the M9/PPQ purchase, I stumbled across the CREED and called my local gun store…and they had it $50 under MSRP…so after holding it, inspecting it, and reading more about it, the CREED immediately became the best gun for me. The grip is fixed and by luck, fits my hand perfectly. Having 16+1 as an option is nice, and this gun looks nothing like the Hi-Point 9mm. If you held the CREED fully loaded in your hand, you’d realize that James Bond wouldn’t need to fire a round as he could kick your butt with this gun as it’s beefy in all the right places. In fact, the CREED is perfect for Hollywood movies as it stand out as an impressive firearm at almost half the cost of an M9 or PPQ. As with any weapon, this might not be for you, but don’t discount it as junk without taking the time to possess one truly appreciate it from an owner’s perspective.

The slide IS a slight bit larger than the PPQ. This weight distribution is near perfect for great grouping and light recoil feel. Can’t wait to put a stainless steel guiderod in it, like my PPQ. For under $400 out the door…you won’t find a better 9mm (16rds). Probably going to carry this during my short Texas winter.

I’m still waiting on Walther to offer a truly modern compact, CCW pistol. Great price but this thing needs to be slimmed down, shorter and with a lower barrel line. It’s interesting that there is no mention here of the guns 27 ounce weight, pretty much 4 ounces more than a Glock 19. Walther needs to go on a diet and give us some really serious entries in the market.

The PPS is fantastic. I don’t know how low the bore axis is but it pretty much comes straight back like a Glock. Not really any muzzle flip to speak of. I have the .40 version and the 9mm is of course even easier to shoot. The Creed is not meant to be small or concealable. Pretty sure it’s meant as a budget duty weapon. The PPQ is a serious entry and weighs less than a G19. Also, you might check out the CCP. Those shoot really well but I still prefer the PPS.

“CCP” should stand for Completely Crap Pistol” as it has the worst trigger action I’ve ever encountered. It’s a pretty, sh**ty, gritty trigger with a long-ass pull to boot. Here’s case where the Hi-Point has a better trigger than this monster. I really was anticipating its release given how it was initially described as having a partial blowback design reminiscent of H&K’s system. That system reroutes some of the burned gas back through a tube to reduce felt recoil. I don’t know if they incorporated it or not because its annoying trigger captured my full attention.

Now, conversely, the trigger system on the PPX (and presumably on the CREED) has one of the smoothest I’ve used. I bought two PPX’s but returnewd them because there was no way to safely store the gun with a round in the chamber. The pre-cocked hammer stays that way until you dry fire it with an empty mag inserted. The PPX is one gun that should have had some kind of external safety or decocker.

Being a left-handed shooter, what I do like about the CREED (assuming it has the same trigger feel as the PPX) are the ambidextrous mag release and slide stop. I also like the rotating take-down lever a hell of a lot better than the stupid little Glock tabs found on nearly all polymer pistols.

IMO, this gun is fine for home defense but too large for EDC. What Walther should have done is make it more like a PPK than a PPX/PPQ “love child.”

Sometimes I read another writer’s opinion, and just scratch my head. There is nothing low-price, budget or cut-corner about the fit or finish any place on the PPX. It is a fantastic bargain on a very competitively engineered and well built pistol; the only drawback being that it’s not rated for +P pressure ammunition. It, along with the PPQ, is a rather bulky, full-size duty pistol, not mid-sized. Makes me wonder if this author has handled either one.

I also had PPX in 9mm and found it to be reliable and accurate. Unfortunately it was recently stolen, leaving me with numerous magazines. I would be interested in the Creed if it accepted PPX magazines, otherwise I will go with the PPX again with no regrets. Anyone know whether it will accept PPX magazines? Rob

I’m looking forward to seeing it tested and reviewed. I’m a fan of Walther, even tho they went and messed them up with that low-brow ‘murican style magazine release. ”Tis a shame, the trigger guard paddles were perfect. The price sounds great also. I own Walther air rifles that cast twice as much.

I’m always relieved when I hear from someone else who prefers the trigger guard mag release. I respect and enjoy the 1911, but I didn’t grow up shooting one, so I didn’t have to mentally retrain (a common complaint) when I bought my P99 a number of years ago. But the biggest advantage of the paddle for ME – someone with smaller hands – is that I don’t have to shift my grip to actuate it like I do with a button release. That’s a big deal. Now, I’ve held the PPX and PPQ M2, but I don’t remember if their button releases were more accommodating to my grip than the 1911’s. All I know is that stubborn, closed-minded shooters killed a great innovation, and I’m disappointed in Walther for caving so quickly to the pressure.